Steelers Players Guaranteed to Be Gone After 2012 Season

Pittsburgh’s front office will have to decide whether to keep the team's two backup quarterbacks, nearly all of its running backs, multiple key players on the offensive line and several notables on the defensive side of the ball.

Some free-agents-to-be are almost certain to stay in Pittsburgh. Wideout Emmanuel Sanders, for example, will be back as long as the price is right.

More importantly, Sanders did a great job stepping in for Antonio Brown during his three-game absence in the middle of the season.

Other future free agents will end up elsewhere next season. Whether due to injury, poor play, the emergence of a better option or financial considerations, some current players just won’t fit into the Steelers’ plans for 2013.

With that in mind, here are four Steelers who almost certainly won’t be back next year. The list runs from most likely to least likely to be gone.

Since injuring his ACL in the last game of the 2011 season, Mendenhall just hasn’t been the same player who was a top-10 back in 2009 and 2010. He has been inconsistent and has spent more time on the sidelines than on the field.

His return to action started well, with 68 rushing yards and a key 15-yard touchdown catch against the Eagles in his first game back.

After that, however, things took a turn for the worse. Mendenhall injured his Achilles in the next game after 17 yards on seven total touches.

He returned against Baltimore in Week 11 but failed to produce. Against Cleveland the next week, he fumbled twice on four carries and found permanent homes on the Steelers' bench and in Tomlin’s doghouse.

For a player with Mendenhall’s resume, there will be surprisingly little outrage over his departure. Throughout his tenure in Pittsburgh, the running back has struggled to connect with fans, teammates and the coaching staff. Mendenhall comes across as something of a talented but moody loner who bristles at the expectations placed on him. When he has opened his mouth, he has often been too candid for his own good.

The good news for the Steelers is that in the pass-happy modern NFL, running backs have become a pretty fungible commodity. With a good offensive line and a legitimate passing attack, a team doesn’t need a superstar in its backfield. Just someone to keep defenses honest.

If Jonathan Dwyer and Isaac Redman fail to prove themselves during the last few games of this season, picking up a serviceable replacement in free agency or the draft shouldn’t be a big problem.

2. Plaxico Burress

Pittsburgh brought the wideout in during the middle of the season for what has turned out to be a largely forgettable second stint with the team. The Steelers’ front office no doubt hoped the 6’5” receiver would give the offense a big red-zone target after Antonio Brown and Emmanuel Sanders went down with injuries.

He was deactivated for last Sunday’s game against the Cowboys and, barring injuries to other Steelers receivers, has probably seen the field for the last time in 2012.

After getting so little production from a receiver who will be 36 next year, it’s unlikely the Steelers will re-sign him during the offseason.

3. Casey Hampton

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Hampton has been a popular star for the Steelers during his 12-year career, earning five trips to the Pro Bowl. But his production has slipped this year, and a team with a history of cutting ties with aging fan favorites (see Ward, Hines) is unlikely to re-sign a 35-year-old player whose best days are behind him.

More importantly, Hampton’s ability to command a double-team is the key to Pittsburgh's run defense. If he can occupy two blockers, it allows Pittsburgh’s inside linebackers to step into the gaps and tackle opposing ball-carriers unmolested.

The Steelers' front office is surely not blind to the situation and will undoubtedly be looking for an upgrade during the offseason. Much as fans and the organization will miss him, there just won’t be a place in Pittsburgh for Hampton next year.

4. Byron Leftwich

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Ben Roethlisberger is an elite NFL quarterback, and the Steelers offense struggled mightily in the three-and-a- half games he missed with rib and shoulder injuries this season. Neither Byron Leftwich nor Charlie Batch was able to move the ball consistently while filling in, and the team limped to a 2-2 record during Big Ben’s absence. The Steelers clearly need an upgrade at backup quarterback next year.

With a combined age that will exceed 70 next year, both free-agents-to-be have an uncertain future in Pittsburgh. If, as seems likely, the Steelers bring in a free agent or rookie backup quarterback in the offseason, only one of the two, at most, will be back next year.

Neither one stepped up and seized the second-string quarterback spot in 2012. So which one will the Steelers choose to keep in 2013?

Cost probably won’t be an issue, as neither will get any more than the minimum. So it will come down to choosing between Leftwich’s relative youth and Batch’s slightly better track record this year.

At the end of the day, it’s the last statistic that is most likely to decide the matter for the Steelers. Leftwich lost to the hated Ravens at home. Batch led the Steelers to a comeback win in Baltimore two weeks later. Regardless of Leftwich’s age, it will be hard to shake the sense that Batch gives the team a better chance to win.

As a result, if Batch doesn’t retire after the 2012 season, Leftwich will be left looking for another team in the offseason.